HC: Handyman | Prologue (Patreon)

Jack looked left and right to make sure his supervisor wasn’t nearby. Satisfied that the coast was clear, he grabbed his phone and pressed record.

“Yo, tubers! This is Jack of Spades! What’s up? I’m about to show you how to quit your job like a boss! Check this out.”

Jack grabbed the gooseneck microphone with his free hand and turned it on.

“One, two, one, two. Can you hear me?”

All over the store, people stopped their trolleys and looked up. Jack smirked. What difference did it make if they found the speakers? He wasn’t hiding in the ceiling. He was at the registers.

“Hey, folks. My name is Jack, and this is my last day working at Cheap Mart. Every single minute working in this joint has been hell. We’re all underpaid and overworked, and corporate treats us like animals. Stanley, your breath stinks. Brush your teeth more often. Angela, you're an ugly traitor. And finally, Nick, you're a disgusting manager. I QUIT!”

The shout at the end of his announcement made the speakers squeak hard enough for some people to cover their ears and wince.

Turning toward the camera, Jack concluded the video. “Don’t forget to follow and subscribe! Share this epic video with your friends. This is Jack of Spades. Peace out!”

He turned the camera off and, taking off Cheap Mart’s forest green vest, dropped it on the floor next to his register. Let Nick or Stanley clean it up later, he thought. As he passed by his fellow cashiers, one of his colleagues saluted him. “Hey, Jack! Epic speech!”

“Thanks! Don’t forget to like my video later!”

He also happened to pass by Angela. Their eyes met over her register, and if looks could kill, Jack would have dropped dead. He guessed that she had removed her name tag to save herself the embarrassment of being recognized by customers as “ugly traitor Angela.”

Jack ignored her and kept walking, afraid someone would call security and make a scene. He couldn't have that. The only scene at Cheap Market today would be the one he had just directed.

Everything went without a hitch, and he walked out of the supermarket as a free man.

He wouldn’t miss this place. They had no comradery here. His supervisor, Nick, was too strict. His colleagues weren’t any better. Smelly Stanley had ratted him out for playing video games on his phone during work hours. Because of that, Nick had given him a sermon on work ethics for thirty never-ending minutes. Angela kept telling on him whenever he was late instead of covering for him. He had only stayed this long because he desperately needed cash.

Taking out his phone, he reviewed the video, ensured everything looked okay, and uploaded it onto his channel. He wished he could be there when Nick and Stanley saw this video. Their faces would be priceless! He felt a weight leave his shoulders. He had settled all his scores, and Cheap Mart, being the multinational it was, would certainly settle theirs. He wasn’t worried about getting his paycheck for the work he’d done here.

Checking the time, he figured he could surprise Lydia on her lunch break, provided he got on the next bus. He crossed Cheap Mart’s parking lot and, seeing the hover bus coming from around the corner, sprinted to the bus stop. Even though it was a short distance, he still ran out of breath.

If only his dad had gotten him the hoverbike he had asked of him so many times… But no. He had to run and take the bus like a loser.

He signaled the bus, and the driver coasted over. On the side of the bus, an ad for a new video game was playing. A hero in shiny armor faced a dinosaur. The giant beast tried stomping him, but he brandished his sword against it, sending it flying. The next scene showed a young man thanking his parents for buying him the new VR helmet, and the whole family joined in a hug.

“Buy your new VRX Helmet now and receive a 20% discount on your New Earth monthly subscription.”

Such ads were everywhere these days. He would have purchased a VRX helmet if he could, but those things weren’t cheap. He had asked his father multiple times for one, but he kept giving him the same answer, the one he also used for the hoverbike: Jack had to buy it himself. Why couldn’t his Dad be more like the father in the ad?

Jack hopped onto the almost empty bus. Most people were at work or school. He would have been, too, had he not quit. After the jog, he felt hot and sweaty, so he sat under the air conditioner, letting the artificial breeze cool him. He remained in his seat until the last second, but seeing no one else had done so yet, he stood up and signaled the bus driver to stop. Hopping off, he saw the same advertisement for the VRX helmet playing. Ignoring it, he headed toward Lydia’s workplace.

Lydia’s cafe had large, inviting windows and an outdoor seating area on the sidewalk, furnished with iron tables and chairs, for patrons to enjoy a beverage and fresh air. Seeing his girlfriend, he couldn’t help but feel his heart beat a little faster. Her hair was tied into a neat ponytail, only letting a few untamed strands frame her clean face. She had blue eyes and an apron to match them and was taking an order from an elderly couple.

He waved at her, and she widened her eyes, surprised. She turned her attention back to her customers, and only after the couple placed their order did she excuse herself and approach him.

“Hey, beautiful!” he greeted.

“Jack? What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” she hissed.

Her lack of enthusiasm took Jack aback. He thought she would have been swept off her feet by his surprise. “I just quit,” he declared triumphantly.

“You quit? No, no, no, Jack. Not this again!”

“Come on, Lydia. You know I hated it there. I made this awesome video out of it, though. It might be just what I need to make my channel go viral,” he said excitedly. “Wanna see it?”

Lydia bit her lip and looked away.

“Aren’t you supposed to be on your lunch break?” he asked, trying to change subjects.

“Yeah. We’re short-staffed today, so I was just trying to help out my boss.”

“Blow her off. Let’s go to the movies or something.”

“You can’t be serious. I can’t leave her like this! That’s not how it works. I need to notify my boss ahead of time before I take time off.”

“I came all the way here to surprise you. Come on.”

“No, Jack. I can’t do that to Mrs. Jill.”

“This is so unfair. You were supposed to be on your lunch break, but she just keeps you working extra hours! That pig!”

“Jack, don’t say those things. Mrs. Jill has never treated me unfairly.”

“You say that, but you are working right now instead of having your rightful break. That looks unfair to me. Where is she? I'll talk some sense into her.”

Lydia scowled and looked between the cafe and Jack. After a few moments, she let out a heavy sigh. “You know what? We do need to talk, Jack. Wait here. I’ll be back in a few moments.”

For a moment, Jack worried his girlfriend was mad at him, but seeing Lydia approaching her manager, he sighed in relief. Lydia talked to an older lady wearing an apron, while gesturing toward him. The boss nodded, and Jack felt like dancing at the sight of Lydia taking off her apron and leaving the cafe.

“Awesome! You got your break, after all. Where do you wanna go?” he asked her.

“There’s a bench over there. Can we sit down and talk for a moment?”

“OK.” What was going on with her today? She hadn’t smiled once since he arrived.

The bench was right around the corner, under an oak tree. Jack swept the debris and leaves off the bench.

“Thank you,” she said as she sat down.

“What’s wrong, Lydia? You look so serious.”

“Listen, Jack. I love you.”

Even though she had said this many times, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of happiness. “I love you too,” he said promptly.

She smiled sadly. “We’ve talked about the future, right? You know I want to get married, settle down, start a family.”

Jack fidgeted uncomfortably. “Is this why you’re so serious? Is it because I haven’t proposed yet? You know I want to marry you, too. It’s just that I haven’t caught my lucky break yet. However, I believe today’s video could be a game-changer. I outdid myself.”

Lydia bit her lip so hard that it turned white. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach, seeing her cold reactions to everything he said.

“Jack, you’re funny, smart, and very romantic. But I want the father of my children to be someone responsible. Someone I can depend on. I’ve tried giving you many opportunities. But-” she gulped nervously and cleared her throat, “I don’t think you’re that man, Jack.” A tear rolled down her face.

“Lydia, what are you saying?” he asked, terrified.

“You can’t hold a job, Jack. You-”

“It’s not my fault, Lydia! You know how difficult jobs are. These big corporations have people our age work overtime and pay us nothing. I’m trying!”

“No, Jack. You’re not! You keep arriving late, fooling around, and playing games at work. If you were your boss, would you keep an employee like you? You don’t even wait to be fired anymore. You just quit to make it sound like it was your decision.”

Lydia’s volume grew as the conversation escalated, drawing the judgmental looks of passersby. “Was it really that difficult at Cheap Mart? Just now, you said you quit because you wanted views on your stupid videos! Which one is it? Did you quit because it was hard? Or was it just a silly way of trying to make easy money online?”

“Uh… Both?”

“For goodness sake, Jack. You’re a grown man, but you act like a child sometimes. You go out of your way to argue with your employers. You were ready to pick a fight with my boss a moment ago, and she is a really kind lady! That’s not how the world works, Jack.”

“Sorry, I was just trying to help you out,” he protested. “And is all this stuff you’re saying really that fair? You don’t think we should get married anymore because I’m not rich? Come on, Lydia!”

“You just don’t see it,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. “It’s not your work situation. It’s your attitude.”

“My attitude?” he protested.

“It’s not just how you keep quitting jobs. You aren’t even trying to find your place! You just keep borrowing money from your mom and mooching off your dad. What if we get married? Is that how you’ll treat me?”

His anger was being stomped under the weight of fear. Lydia was serious. “But I love you,” he blabbered.

“You say you love me, but those are just words, Jack. Tell me, do you have a plan? When will you get your own place? When will we get married?”

Each remark cut him deeper than the previous one.

“Tell me, Jack. Be honest.” Something about her tone told him this would be the question that would make or break things. “Did you think about me when you quit your job?”

“I-”. Jack looked down, ashamed. He hadn’t.

“I’m sorry, Jack. I wish it didn’t go this way, but we need to stop seeing each other,” she stood up and walked away.

Jack tried standing up and following her. He told himself to run and kneel before her and promise her he would change and be the man she needed. He tried but couldn’t. Her words had cut deep because, deep down, he knew they were true.

INDEX 

Ch. 1 - Rough Day